


Holiday

by hauntedjaeger (saellys)



Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Grief/Mourning, Post-Movie(s), Recovery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 11:27:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8622841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saellys/pseuds/hauntedjaeger
Summary: “I’ve never been one for parties.”He uses the persuasive eyebrow lift on her. “This is a great time to start. We have the rest of our lives, right? Nobody would blame us for retiring into total hedonism. I think you’ve earned it, Ranger Mori.”She’s thinking about it, despite herself. “What does total hedonism look like?”“As soon as they let me out of this E.T. contraption, I’ll be glad to show you.”





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tielan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/gifts).



> This is a long, long overdue giftfic for Tielan that was supposed to go in last year's PacRim Secret Santa exchange. So sorry for the delay, dear, and thank you for all you do!

It starts in Medical, where they keep Raleigh under observation for days because no Jaeger pilot has ever exactly gone to another dimension, and also they’d like to know if he’s radioactive now. Separated by a sheet of clear plastic, Mako can’t do much except talk to him. The last days of war left no room for conversation. They make up for it now, with things they didn’t communicate in the Drift, and some that they did. It’s Mako who asks if there’s any place he’d like to go when he’s released. 

“The Atlantic sounds nice,” he says, only half joking. “New York. Reykjavik. London.” He stops abruptly, and Mako supposes it’s because of the look on her face. 

After a minute she goes back to smiling. It’s not forced--she doesn’t have to force it, thinking about Viviane and Duke, of tea that’s unfamiliar and smiles that mirror Stacker’s. “I can show you London,” she tells him.

“I can show you the world,” he sings teasingly. He can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Mako picks a mess hall peanut off her tray and throws it at the plastic sheet. “I could show you Alaska,” he goes on as if nothing happened. “The parts that aren’t the academy or the Icebox, I mean. You ever want to go back to places where you’ve only seen Shatterdomes?” Mako nods. “L.A., Manila. Hawaii, maybe.”

That’s a trip she needs to make too. There’s a grave near a statue of St. George, and at its right a plot that was kept empty. The plot on the left was meant to be filled one day, but now all Mako can put there is a wreath of flowers. 

She looks up and Raleigh is watching her, solemn once more. He shifts uncomfortably in the papery examination gown. “New places, then,” he says. “You know, I bet if we planned it right, we could spend a year hitting nothing but really good parties. Can you imagine what Mardi Gras or Holi will look like this year?” 

“I’ve never been one for parties.” 

He uses the persuasive eyebrow lift on her. “This is a great time to start. We have the rest of our lives, right? Nobody would blame us for retiring into total hedonism. I think you’ve earned it, Ranger Mori.” 

She’s thinking about it, despite herself. “What does total hedonism look like?” 

“As soon as they let me out of this E.T. contraption, I’ll be glad to show you.” 

And they do let him out, eventually, without warning one afternoon when Mako is in the shower. She goes back to her quarters, still drying her hair, to find him sitting on her doorstep. “Diagnosis: not glowing,” he tells her through a smile. 

“Let me see,” Mako says, and he stands and makes one full rotation for her scrutiny. They’ve given him a new pair of trousers, which fit him better than the last, and the same blue sweater. She does not intend to allow them to stay on him for long. 

“I did some thinking,” Raleigh says while his back is turned. Mako makes an inquiring but absent sound; his ass is distracting. “There’s only one place I want to go right now.” 

She's been thinking, too, about the meaning of total hedonism and how best to embody it. “Be careful. I might not let you leave.” 

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Raleigh says, facing her again. 

And Mako lets him in. 


End file.
